Dean Johnson Comments on Souter Replacement for SFGate.com
Dean Kevin R. Johnson commented on possible replacements for retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter for SFGate.com, the website of the San Francisco Chronicle. In an article entitled "Supreme Court Handicapper: Why a Latino should be on the Court," Dean Johnson detailed some of the reasons President Obama may wish to consider a Latino as a replacement for Justice Souter.
Such an appointment "would be a symbol of full inclusion in U.S. society," Dean Johnson said, and would also bring a much-needed perspective to the Court. Dean Johnson pointed to U.S. v. Brigoni-Ponce, a 1975 case in which the Court ruled that immigration officers could stop a vehicle on the basis of the occupants having a "Mexican appearance," which amounted to an endorsement of "racial profiling in immigration enforcement," Dean Johnson said. A Latino Justice would surely he able to help the Court reach a more just decision, as well as give voice to "the long history of segregation and discrimination against Mexican Americans in the southwest."
Kevin R. Johnson is Dean and Mabie-Apallas Professor of Public Interest Law and Chicana/o Studies at UC Davis School of Law. He is an internationally recognized scholar in the fields of immigration law and policy, refugee law, and civil rights.